Becoming Aware

1. The Wheel of Awareness: A Visual Metaphor for Mindfulness

The Wheel is a very useful visual metaphor for the way the mind works.

The Wheel of Awareness is a powerful tool for understanding and practicing mindfulness. It consists of four main components:

• Hub: Represents the experience of being aware
• Rim: Represents what we can be aware of (the "knowns")
• Spoke: Represents our focus of attention
• Four segments on the rim:
  1. Five senses
  2. Internal bodily sensations
  3. Mental activities
  4. Relational sense

By systematically moving our attention around the Wheel, we can develop a more comprehensive awareness of our experiences and strengthen our ability to focus and redirect attention.

2. Focused Attention, Open Awareness, and Kind Intention: Three Pillars of Mind Training

When we develop focused attention, open awareness, and kind intention, research reveals that we will be better equipped to weather life's storms with a stronger sense of overall calm and happiness.

These three pillars form the foundation of effective mind training:

1. Focused Attention: The ability to sustain concentration on a chosen object
2. Open Awareness: Remaining receptive to all experiences without attachment
3. Kind Intention: Cultivating compassion and positive regard for oneself and others

Benefits of developing these skills include:

• Improved immune function
• Enhanced telomerase activity for cellular health
• Better epigenetic regulation of genes
• Reduced stress and improved cardiovascular function
• Increased neural integration for resilience and well-being

3. Breath Awareness: The Foundation of Mindfulness Practice

Letting this practice of focusing on the breath and returning the focus to it when the mind becomes distracted can be one of your greatest tools in developing your practice, and a gift that keeps on giving as you go about your days because, indeed, we are always breathing.

Breath awareness serves as a crucial starting point for mindfulness practice:

• Creates internal coherence through the repeating pattern of inhalation and exhalation
• Provides a reliable and always-available anchor for attention
• Helps stabilize the mind and balance the autonomic nervous system

Key tips for breath awareness practice:

• Stay awake and alert
• Distinguish between relaxation and reflection
• Focus on sensing rather than observing the breath
• Be kind to yourself and patient with the process

4. Exploring the Five Senses: Deepening Sensory Awareness

For many people, taking this time to differentiate the first five senses from one another enables a heightened experience of being aware of each sensory stream.

Exploring the five senses helps us develop a more nuanced and rich experience of the present moment:

1. Hearing: Notice the quality and texture of sounds
2. Sight: Observe light, color, and contrast
3. Smell: Pay attention to aromas and scents
4. Taste: Become aware of flavors and sensations in the mouth
5. Touch: Feel the sensations of skin contact with various surfaces

By systematically focusing on each sense, we can enhance our overall sensory awareness and enjoyment of daily experiences.

5. Interoception: Connecting with Internal Body Sensations

Studies suggest that people who have more interoceptive abilities have more capacity for insight and empathy, as well as emotional balance and intuition.

Interoception refers to our awareness of internal bodily sensations:

• Includes sensations from muscles, bones, and internal organs
• Helps develop a stronger mind-body connection
• Enhances emotional intelligence and self-regulation

Practicing interoception:

1. Systematically scan the body from head to toe
2. Pay attention to subtle sensations in each area
3. Notice any areas of tension, discomfort, or ease
4. Cultivate a gentle, non-judgmental awareness of these sensations

6. Mental Activities: Observing Thoughts, Emotions, and Memories

For many of us who have not yet experienced a meditation or reflective practice such as the Wheel, it can be quite revelatory to be aware of the more subtle details of mental activity.

Observing mental activities allows us to develop a more nuanced understanding of our inner landscape:

• Notice how thoughts, emotions, and memories arise, stay present, and leave awareness
• Pay attention to the gaps between mental activities
• Develop the ability to distinguish between the content of thoughts and the process of thinking

This practice helps us:

• Reduce identification with our thoughts
• Increase mental flexibility and resilience
• Gain insight into our cognitive and emotional patterns

7. The Relational Sense: Cultivating Connection and Compassion

Knowing that science has recently revealed what wisdom traditions have known for many years—that cultivating intentions of kindness, care, empathy, and compassion can bring positive changes into our inner and interpersonal worlds—I invite you to repeat the following phrases silently, in your inner mind.

The relational sense focuses on our connections to others and the world around us:

• Expands our sense of self beyond individual boundaries
• Cultivates empathy, compassion, and a sense of interconnectedness

Practice cultivating the relational sense:

1. Start with those physically closest to you
2. Gradually expand to family, friends, community, and all living beings
3. Use kind intention statements to reinforce positive connections:
   • "May all living beings be happy"
   • "May all living beings be safe"
   • "May all living beings flourish and thrive"

8. Hub-in-Hub: Experiencing Pure Awareness

The idea is the same: Open the hub of the Wheel to the experience of becoming aware of awareness, to simply drop into pure awareness, to simply be aware.

Hub-in-Hub practice explores the nature of awareness itself:

• Involves turning attention back onto itself
• Can feel disorienting or confusing at first
• Represents an advanced stage of mindfulness practice

Techniques for exploring pure awareness:

1. Bending the spoke of attention back into the hub
2. Retracting the spoke into the hub
3. Dissolving the spoke and resting in pure awareness

This practice helps develop a deeper understanding of consciousness and can lead to profound insights about the nature of mind.

9. Integration: Balancing Differentiation and Linkage for Well-being

Integration—the balancing of differentiation and linkage—is the core process that helps us flourish and thrive.

Integration is key to mental health and well-being:

• Involves honoring differences while creating meaningful connections
• Applies to various aspects of our experience: thoughts, emotions, relationships, etc.

Benefits of integration:

• Enhanced emotional regulation
• Improved relationships
• Greater resilience and adaptability
• Increased sense of coherence and meaning in life

The Wheel of Awareness practice promotes integration by:

1. Differentiating various aspects of experience (rim segments)
2. Linking them through focused attention (spoke)
3. Unifying them in open awareness (hub)

10. MWe: Embracing an Integrated Identity of Self and Others

Your inner identity is me, your relational identity is we, and together your integrated identity is Me plus We equals MWe.

MWe represents an integrated identity that balances individual and collective aspects of self:

• Combines the inner "me" with the relational "we"
• Fosters a sense of interconnectedness and belonging

Cultivating MWe identity:

1. Practice alternating focus between individual self and broader connections
2. Use kind intention statements directed towards MWe:
   • "May MWe be happy"
   • "May MWe be safe"
   • "May MWe flourish and thrive"
3. Reflect on how this expanded identity impacts your daily life and interactions

Embracing MWe can lead to:

• Increased empathy and compassion
• A more balanced perspective on personal and collective well-being
• Greater sense of purpose and meaning in life

Last updated: October 5, 2024